Various devices have been proposed for directing and collecting urine from female patients suffering from urinary incontinence. One such device, believed to be particularly effective in adapting to the varied and complex anatomical changes that occur in the periurethral area during locomotion, is disclosed in co-owned U.S. Pat. No. 4,681,572. In that construction, a periurethral cup and an external pad, both formed of soft, compressible material, are connected together by means of a tubular elastic bellows that exerts an upward force on the cup when the device is worn while, at the same time, permitting limited independent movement of the cup and pad. In use of the device, the external pad is held upwardly against the external surfaces of the labia majora by a panty or other support means and the periurethral cup projects upwardly inside the labia majora and minora and is positioned so that its soft rounded upper surfaces engage the periurethral floor about the urethral meatus. The partially compressed elastic bellows exerts a constant gentle upward force on the cup to maintain the cup in proper position and, because of its construction and elasticity, the bellows is capable of twisting, bending, and deflecting to accommodate the dynamics of body movement.
The effectiveness of the device of the aforementioned patent therefore results in part from the fact that the elastic bellows is partially compressed when worn by a patient. To achieve such partial compression for patients of different size, the patent discloses a sizing instrument (FIG. 7) that may be conveniently used for establishing the bellows length for any given patient.
The construction disclosed in the patent makes it possible for wearers suffering from urinary incontinence to partake in many of the same ambulatory activities enjoyed by those who are not so afflicted. Such freedom brings problems, however, and it is the recognition of such problems, and the improvements in construction that eliminate or reduce them, to which this invention is directed.
Other patents revealing the development of the art with respect to female urinary incontinence devices include U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,496,355, 4,421,511, 4,270,539, 4,246,901, 4,198,979, 4,194,508, 3,995,329, 3,776,325, 3,661,155, 3,528,423, 3,512,185, 3,194,238, 3,116,734, 2,490,969, and 2,483,079.